BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) On the eve of civil, wrongful death court case that was set to begin, the City of Buffalo and the widow of fallen firefighter Jason Arno have reached a $5.9 million settlement.
The agreement still needs final sign off from the city's corporation counsel office, said Mayor Sean Ryan.
"This will allow the Arno family to put this awful tragedy behind," Ryan said. "Stretching this out for years is not good for anyone."
Buffalo Common Council approval is also needed.
While many the details of the settlement are sealed, this much has been confirmed:
* Arno's widow Sarah Tierney will receive payments spread out during the next three years.
* The first payment will be delivered in July.
Arno, 37, died while fighting a March 1, 2023 fire at a now-demolished building at 745 Main Street in downtown Buffalo. He is believed to have died from a combination of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
Arno had been assigned to Engine 2 on Elmwood Avenue and Edward Street. He had been a firefighter for three years.
Authorities believe a propane-fueled torch, being used by a contractor, may have started the fire,
An undisclosed settlement, in a separate civil case, against 743 Main Street LLC and JP Contracting of Western New York, was negotiated and completed last year.
A state Department of Labor investigation into the fire and Arno's death found "Inadequate accountability, non-functioning firefighting equipment and failure to follow interior firefighting procedures" were among the factors that led to the fatality.
"The basis of the lawsuit is that someone (Arno) went to work that day to do his job and died in the line of duty," Ryan said. "We wanted to make the family was taken care of."
City to pay $5.9 million - spread over three years.
City to pay $5.9 million - spread over three years.
